The Ghost and The Nest
by StellaOrbits
Summary: A female hunter makes it her mission to meet the infamous Winchester Brothers, but it winds up being more than she bargained for. **Contains spanking, mature language, and sexual content**
1. Chapter 1: Meeting The Boys

Chapter 1: Meeting The Boys

I had been hunting for half of my life. There was so much I had seen, and so much I still had yet to see. I had hunted with other people, and I had hunted alone. Being a female Hunter made it difficult to hunt with others. They always thought I was too delicate. They didn't even know me.

I had been in so many different foster care homes since I could remember. There were so many stories that I had heard about what actually happened to my parents. Car crash. Plane crash. Fire. Mugging gone wrong. None of them made any sense. And then I met a strange man that told me my parents had been killed by monsters. He called himself a Hunter, but at the time I was too young to care or understand him.

The older I got, the more I started to think that maybe the strange man was actually telling me the truth. By the time I was 14, I finally sought out the strange man, Jackson, and began my training to become a Hunter. A year later he said I was finally ready to be called a Hunter. He was more of a father than I had ever had in my entire life. On my 15th birthday he gave me my own machete and gun. Those would be the two most important items I had ever received.

During that first year out hunting, I met lots of other Hunters. Few of them were women, but I didn't mind it. It was simple, fulfilling, and humbling. Normal people didn't notice or care what we did. Yet we were constantly protecting them from the things they thought only existed in books. I quickly learned that not following the rules earned me a red ass, so I focused on safety and communication in all situations.

As Jackson started to get slower in his old age, he hunted less and relied on me to keep the area safe. The only thing with that was when Hunters heard Jackson was retiring, they assumed there were no other Hunters in that area. But I was still there to try and keep things in hand, though I started to get more careless with my life since Jackson wasn't there to keep me in check. When things got quiet in town, I sought out other areas to keep myself distracted. As I started to get out on my own, I started hearing murmurs of two brothers: The Winchesters.

I became extremely fascinated by these brothers. Not only were there countless stories that were hard to believe as even a Hunter, but the dedication that they had to each other and the hunt made me very attracted to them. I had decided that one day I would meet them so I could prove for myself their greatness.

I spent three years trying to track their location through what other Hunters were saying. I tried not to stray too far from home since Jackson didn't seem to do well when I was gone for long periods of time. When I was about to give up, I finally found myself crossing their path. It was a simple hunt, and I had already been in the area tracking the vengeful spirit.

When they arrived, I immediately knew who they were. Their descriptions didn't do them justice. Dean had a hard look, but the pain and caring in his eyes was very clear. Sam had a look of motivation, but kindness. There was also some sadness that laced his facial expressions. The brothers clearly held a lot on their shoulders, and I felt bad for not making my presence known so they didn't have to worry about something so trivial as a vengeful spirit.

I contemplated lying about who I was, but I guess something about me gave it away. As they broke into the house quietly to investigate the spirit, I almost ran. Curiosity and their quickness to get the door open kept me there.

As the door opened, I saw a large figure coming up from a squat. He looked at me and spoke.

"Oh. We didn't realize anyone was here. We got a call about... " he stopped himself as he finished analyzing me and decided that he didn't need to continue the lie."My name is Sam. This is my brother, Dean. We didn't realize this was already being taken care of."

I flushed, immediately feeling embarrassed. Should I tell them the truth? I had purposely pretended not to be on the case so I could meet them. Would they figure it out anyway? Maybe it was time to see how good they truly were. So I went with a lie.

"Melody," I said, reaching out my hand. "You can call me Mel if you'd prefer." I smiled as Sam grabbed my hand, and then I moved forward to Dean. As I took his hand he smiled, but his eyes stayed hard.

Since both boys had returned the smile, I decided to keep playing dumb, but not too dumb. I didn't live under a rock after all.

"So, the Winchesters, I presume?" I asked innocently.

Dean scoffed at that. "Yeah, but I'd only believe half of what they've told you about us." Then he shot me a wink.

I think I about died where I stood. Wasn't it against the law to have two beautiful, talented, kind siblings? I didn't think it was fair. There had to be something wrong with them. I just didn't see it yet.

Sam laughed gently at Dean and turned back to me. "So, Mel. I guess if you've got this, then we can just be on our way."

I responded a little too quickly, "NO!... I mean. You're already here, so I wouldn't mind the company."

Way to go, Mel. Make yourself look desperate. Sam was one of the few hunters to trust me enough to leave, and I had just asked...shouted at them to stay. That sure was going to do a lot for the "strong, independent woman" image I had been trying to build.

They both looked slightly taken aback by my reply. Sam suppressed a laugh, but Dean simply shrugged at Sam and closed the door behind them. "Sure. Why the hell not? Maybe it will end up being more action than we expected." He turned to me, "So, what's the plan?"

I could feel myself start to perspire. What in the hell was wrong with me? I finally got into a situation where I didn't have to fight to prove that I was capable, and I forgot how to speak. In that moment I was cursing the brothers for not being the egotistical assholes like most of the other Hunters I had met.

Finally, I cleared my throat and found my voice, "Well, as I'm sure you already know, it's a vengeful spirit. I already salted and burned the bones, but she's still here. So I came back to the house to see what she could be attached to. Just a heads up, she likes to try and push you down the stairs."

"Awesome," Dean replied as he glanced at the stairs then back to me.

I looked at him and frowned.

"It's just something he says," Sam said rolling his eyes at Dean. He turned his attention back to me. "Any clues about what she may be attached to still?"

"Well, there's a rumor that she made a doll with her own hair that was never found. She made it while she was pregnant with her child. And since the child was never born, I figure it has to be somewhere in the house. It's the only thing that makes sense. I've tried talking to her to ask where it is, but she just goes into a frenzy about getting the guy that killed her. She doesn't really listen when I explain he's been dead for a few years."

I sighed and crossed my arms while leaning against the wall. There was something that still felt off with all of it. Maybe the man really hadn't died. No. I had seen his death certificate. But there was definitely something. I just couldn't place my finger on what it was.

"Where haven't you searched for it?" Dean inquired, staring past me and intently up the stairs.

I halfway snapped out of my thoughts. I stared at Dean as I replied, but something held his attention on the stairs. I followed his sight line and sighed. The freaking ghost was standing there watching us.

"Inside of vents and ceiling panels. I've pretty much searched every other part of the house unless there's a secret doorway somewhere that I missed," I replied staring up the stairs.

"Melody, you brought me new friends to play with." The ghost spoke in an eerily calm voice. She seemed to be planning things while she spoke.

"Patricia, we've talked about this. You don't get to play with human lives. Either you move on by yourself, or I make you."

The ghost huffed and flew down the stairs getting right in my face. I felt both Sam and Dean come towards me protectively, so I held up a hand to stop them. I took a step towards her and she huffed before speaking.

"WE'VE ALSO TALKED ABOUT AVENGING THE DEATH OF MY CHILD!" she yelled in my face. She held her hands protectively over her empty belly and continued to glare at me.

I could feel her anger starting to bring an intense chill to my body, so I simply lifted my hand and brushed her away with the iron ball I had been holding in my palm. I knew she'd be back, but she was getting on my nerves, and she clearly wasn't in a mood to listen.

I sighed and turned back to the brothers who just looked at me a little dumbfounded.

"What? I'm just holding an iron ball. Don't you come prepared when dealing with vengeful spirits?"

Sam looked back at Dean and they exchanged a look I didn't quite understand. Dean turned to stare at me looking impressed, but he didn't speak. Sam cleared his throat and spoke with a smirk on his face.

"Have you checked in the stairs? Maybe there's storage in one of them?"

Shit. Why hadn't I thought of that? It was the place I'd seen her most frequently, but I'd just assumed it was because that was where her baby almost died inside while of her as she tumbled down the stairs. Patricia had broken her neck halfway down and died instantly, but her poor child didn't die until they failed to sustain her vitals in the hospital.

"Um...no," I mumbled like an embarrassed child. I looked down at my feet and cursed myself.

"I call vents upstairs," Dean announced half smiling while walking past Sam and me.

Sam smiled again and turned towards me, "Shall we test out the stairs?"

I watched Dean as he ascended the stairs, then turned to Sam, contemplating my answer. I was so fascinated by Dean. There was something about him that made me want to hold him down and make him tell me everything. But maybe I would learn more from Sam.

"Yes. Let's get to it."

As Sam and I started tapping the stairs to listen for a change in sound that might hint at a secret storage, Dean yelled something from one of the rooms. I looked up at Sam.

"Go ahead and see what he found. I'm gonna keep at the stairs."

"I'll be right back," Sam replied.

I tried to listen to what the boys were saying to each other while still tapping the stairs. Even if Dean had found the doll, something kept pushing me to search the stairs. As I tapped one of the stairs towards the top, I saw Sam trailing behind as Dean walked towards me holding the doll. They started to talk, but I held up my finger to silence them and tapped the step again. There was definitely something different in it's tone. I pulled at the boards until I found a loose one.

"We have the doll. What are you still looking for?" Dean asked with a frown.

"I'll let you know when I look under this floorboard," I sarcastically replied while looking up at him.

He was frowning at me. Then he raised his eyebrows as he showed me the doll in his hand. I laughed to myself a little and shook my head. How was it possible to be sarcastic without even saying anything? I took a deep breath and pulled open the floorboard.

I don't know what it was that I had been expecting, but old letters had not been it. As I reached in to grab them, Patricia appeared again, angrier than before. I stood up to face her, and she reached out to push me down the stairs. Dean tossed the doll back to Sam and simultaneously yanked me up to the landing where he was standing.

Thrown by the fact that his first priority was getting me out of her way, I forgot that I still had the iron balls in either pocket. I stood there holding Dean's forearms, staring at him like a complete fool. As Patricia screamed and came back up the stairs, Sam shot her with rock salt.

I quickly dropped my arms and stepped away. I hoped that he hadn't felt my pulse quicken at his touch. Maybe he'd think I was just frightened by the ghost if he did notice.

"Sorry. I mean, thank you." I blushed and quickly made my way back to the letters. I cleared my throat and brushed myself off as I squatted back down.

As I opened the first one I realized the correspondence was between Patricia and a lover. When I read the signature I realized that it was the name of her supposed killer. Had her lover, the possible father of her child, been wrongly accused of her murder?

I sat back on the stair, letting it support my back and dropped my hand with the letter to my side.

"I think she's right. I don't think her killer is dead." I stared down the stairs into nothing and felt a squeeze of pain in my heart.

Sam and Dean looked at the doll Sam was still holding. Then they looked back to me.

Sam spoke first, "Maybe we can get her to tell us more about the killer before we burn the doll."

"Yeah. I'd rather not let some murdering son of a bitch keep wandering around the streets killing people," Dean spat in response.

I looked towards them as I nodded and went back to searching the stairs. There was a picture of Patricia and Wesley embracing. He definitely didn't look like a killer. I stuck my hand further back into the stairs and found an unsent letter for Wesley. I felt a chill behind me.

"Melody..." Dean said cautiously. Dean tensed and reached for his gun, but nobody moved.

I turned to Patricia and saw her eyes fill with tears and she simply nodded at me.

"Open the letter. Find the man who killed my child. FIND HIM!"

She started to lose control again, so I sighed and swung my iron ball.

"We will, Patricia. I promise."

I spoke to the air where she had been and turned my focus back to the letter in my hand. I carefully opened it and read it. Patricia wrote to Wesley about how she was frightened. A man had been coming around demanding that she was to be his wife. She recognized him from around town and had spoken to him once or twice in the market. Apparently he had become obsessed and believed himself to be the father of her child. As Patricia wrote on, she mentioned that the man was in the house and she was going to try to escape for help.

She told Wesley that she loved him more than life itself, and that if anything were to happen to her, he needed to find Bradley Stoke. My heart caught in my throat, and my eyes burned with a hint of tears.

"Patricia wasn't murdered by Wesley. He came home and found her that way. Bradley Stoke is her murderer. I guess Wesley took his own life in prison to be with her, not because of the guilt of killing her and his child."

Sam and Dean gave each other that stupid look again. It made me want to scream. I felt like I was being left out of the cool kid conversation. I started feeling defensive again because it felt like maybe they didn't trust me.

"Uh, Melody. We actually know where he is. He was acting suspiciously outside our hotel. The owner explained he'd gone mad one day when his wife supposedly drowned herself and their baby in the bathtub. I'll take the letter to the local police and take care of him. You and Sammy help Patricia cross on. She needs to be with her family."

I nodded and handed Dean the letter with a clenched jaw. I wiped an escaped tear from my cheek and let Sam assist me to standing. I wanted to pull away and yell at them to let me do it myself, but I was too busy analyzing how quickly they had solved the case. Sam and I went to the fireplace and he threw the doll in. I went to my bag and grabbed the salt while Sam pulled out a match.

Patricia appeared again screaming about the doll she made for her baby. She came at me and threw me against the wall right as Sam threw the match. I watched Patricia fade away as the doll went up in flames.


	2. Chapter 2: Understanding The Winchesters

Chapter 2: Understanding The Winchesters  
I groaned as I opened my eyes. I felt terrible. I knew that she was going to be with her family now, but why couldn't she have crossed over on her own? I suddenly felt the stinging pain on the back of my head and reached back to feel some moisture.

I groaned louder this time. Great. Now I had a bloody bump to deal with. I was too busy cursing my injury to realize Sam had been over me asking if I was OK. I looked up at him as he grabbed my elbow to help me up.

"I'm fine. It's just a little bump."

I pulled my arm away from his grasp. As I brushed myself off, I looked up to him.

He frowned at me. His face was full of concern. "Do you live nearby? I'd rather not leave you alone. You could have a concussion."

I groaned. Here I was again being a helpless female hunter.

"I live a few hours away. I'll be fine."

"I'm sorry, but I can't let you drive. I'll take you back to our hotel. You're going to have to stay with us so I can make sure you don't have a concussion. Give me your keys."

He held out his hand, and I wanted nothing more than to yell at him for not treating me like a capable Hunter like I was used to doing during hunts. I let out a frustrated sigh and slammed the keys into his hand with a little too much force. He winced as the keys pierced his skin.

I continued my tantrum as I stomped over to my bag, picked it up, extinguished the fire, and stomped towards the door to my car. Even though I was throwing a tantrum, Sam just laughed quietly and let me be dramatic. I think he was trying not to lose his temper with me, so his laughing felt forced. That only made me more frustrated. He cleared up the scene while I stood by the locked car talking to myself.

I couldn't believe I was being treated like a child. I could take care of myself. What right did he have? After what felt like forever, I calmed down a little bit and was almost able to laugh at myself. Almost.

Sam came out to the car, pressing the remote to unlock the doors, and I climbed into the passenger side, throwing my bag in and slamming the door. He seemed more annoyed now.

"You know, Dean and I didn't need to stay and help you. You asked us to stay. Remember? So if you could just chill the attitude a little that would be great." He was more firm with his tone, but somehow he was still gentle.

He was right. I was being a bitch. My defenses were on high. My head was throbbing. And I was embarrassed for letting myself get hurt in front of a famous Winchester, and then proceeding to act like a hormonal teenager. I looked down, filled with guilt and shame, but I couldn't suppress my frustration.

"Sorry, Sam. I guess I hit my head harder than I thought. Thanks for taking care of me." I was still a little snappy at him, and my words were laced with sarcasm.

He shot me a menacing look and replied, "Just be glad you're not hunting with us long term. Your head wouldn't be the only thing I'd take care of."

I looked at him inquisitively not quite understanding what he meant but somehow still knowing. As I looked at his quick breathing and clenched jaw he just seemed a little pissed at me, and I didn't blame him. But that anger towards me made my stomach drop. The situation and the tone had brought back a familiar sensation. It almost felt like he had just threatened me with corporal punishment.  
Of course, that was not really a new situation for me to get myself into. I had been no stranger to taking a belt to the ass when hunting with Jackson. My constant need to prove that I was just as good as the guys got me into more trouble than I cared to admit. But I had figured that was just because he was my foster father. Now I started to question if maybe it was just a Hunter thing. I quickly tried to think back to previous hunts and if there were similar threats to other Hunters. I swallowed hard.

"Sorry," I mumbled more genuinely. I didn't want to give Sam any more reason to think about taking care of things in such a way.

The short drive to the hotel was uncomfortable. I wanted to apologize more. To tell Sam I had purposely tried to meet them, and I should have acted better knowing exactly who they were. To let him know that I had acted out of line because I thought they would treat me like the other Hunters had treated me. And when they didn't, I still got defensive. But instead I just sat there quietly, gently holding a towel against my head.

When we pulled up to the hotel, I watched the police placing what had to be Bradley in handcuffs and putting him in the car. Dean shook the sheriff's hand and walked over to my car as Sam got out to greet him.

"What's up? Everything taken care of?" He looked at me suspiciously as I quickly moved my hand away from my head.

"Patricia won't be bothering anyone anymore. But Melody here might have a concussion, so I told her she stays with us so we can keep an eye on her." Sam's voice was laced with annoyance. Clearly he didn't need to say anything else for Dean to understand.

I shrunk back a bit as Dean watched me with a hard look. He spoke more quietly, but I could still hear.  
"She cause you trouble, Sammy?"

"She just kinda flipped out about me for helping her after she got hurt. I think she used to be treated as inferior or incapable as a Hunter. She's super defensive, and it gives her a nasty attitude. She's lucky I didn't make an adjustment right there in the car."

I tried to stay quiet, but I had to tell them everything so they didn't hate me anymore. I threw open the car door and stormed over to them. Dean's eyes widened a little with surprise causing Sam to turn around.

"Look. I know I've been kinda bitch. I'm sorry. Yes, I usually get treated like shit by men, so I tend to harden myself before going into a situation like this. You both threw me off by being genuinely kind to me and trusting my abilities as a Hunter. I'm not sure I really trusted your sincerity, but I should have treated you both with more respect either way. I mean, seriously. You're the freaking Winchesters."

They stared at me for a moment and then both laughed as I stood there shaking my head. I was starting to get angrier at myself for everything that had happened. The guilt making me more irritable. How in the hell could they be laughing now? Something must have been knocked loose during one of their numerous deaths.

"Let's get you inside to clean up that wound and get you some ice." Sam seemed to have forgiven my shitty attitude at that point. He put his arm around me as we headed towards their room behind Dean. I stayed tense as he guided me.

Dean opened the door and pulled out a chair for me to sit in. He went into the bathroom as I awkwardly sat in the seat. I didn't need to be taken care of.

"I'll go grab some ice," he said as he came out the bathroom tossing a wet towel to Sam. I watched him leave as Sam started talking to me.

"Move your hand so I can see if you need stitches."  
I hissed a little as Sam dabbed the wound with the towel.  
"You're going to have a pretty good bump, but the cut isn't deep. It's not really even bleeding anymore."

"Thanks," I mumbled to him. I couldn't believe the Winchesters were sitting there taking care of me. Didn't they have some more important world saving things to do?  
Dean came back with the ice and made me a pack wrapped in a towel to put on my head.

"Here. Hold that on there," he said to me in a fatherly tone.

I tried to bite back my automatic defensive response, but I was too slow. "Obviously. I'm pretty sure I know how to take care of a little bump. Thanks, Captain Obvious."

I saw Dean clench his jaw and tense his shoulders a little bit, but he just shook his head and walked away.

What in the hell was wrong with me? I needed to calm down. So I took a deep breath and decided it was time for the rest of my story.

"I'm sorry. This just isn't what I expected when waiting to meet you guys today."

Sam quickly looked up at me and cut me off, "Excuse me? Waiting to meet us? You knew we were going to be on this case?" He looked a little annoyed again.

I cringed back a little bit, trying to hide the flushing of my face. "Well, yeah. I've actually been trying to 'accidentally' cross paths with you guys for a few years. I mean the stories I've heard... How could two people really be that great? No. I had to meet you for myself. I was almost hoping you'd be complete assholes so I would get over this obsession, but you're kind of doing the opposite of helping." I laughed a little to myself and shook my head while I stared at my feet.

Sam laughed heartily at that, but Dean came and put his hands on the table in front of me causing me to look up to him with surprise. The anger was pouring off of him now, and I quickly looked back down.

"Tell me this. How long did you know where the doll was?"

I pursed my lips and swallowed, looking up to meet Dean's intense stare. "Well... I found it three days ago."

He stood up and threw his arms in the air, walking away from me. He turned around quickly, and I watched his temper start to flare.

"You purposely put yourself and possibly others into unnecessary danger just so you could meet us? What the hell, Mel?! What were you thinking?! I've half a mind to throw you over my knee and show you just how stupid that was!"

I couldn't breathe. Each quickened breath seemed to provide me no relief. The last thing I had wanted was to make the Winchesters hate me. Maybe I would feel better if I just let him whip my ass. I removed the ice from my head and set it on the table as I slowly stood and took a step towards Dean.

"First of all, I made sure there was no one else coming around that could get hurt. Second of all, I am perfectly capable of keeping myself safe in a situation like this. And if you hadn't shown up, I probably wouldn't even have a bump on my head."

I continued to walk towards him slowly as I spoke, but my confidence started to fill my body.

"I've been hunting for 13 years, and I do quite fine on my own. But I'll step up and take them blame this time since it was me wanting to meet you two that got me in this situation. So yeah, maybe I was beyond stupid with all of this. But I still hunted smart. So step off your high horse. You don't need to treat me like a child." I finished my speech by poking him in the chest.

Dean stood there with his eyebrows furrowed and looked me intensely in the eyes. His breathing was calm, and he seemed to be thinking something over. Faster than I could react, he grabbed my arm, spun me around, gave my ass a a good, hard warming for long enough to make me squirm and yell out, then spun me back around to face him. He kept a hold of my arm as he stuck a finger in my face.

"Look. You were the one who wanted us to stay. You clearly planned most of this, so cut the attitude. We're not pretending to be better than anyone else, and we're not trying to make you seem like you're incapable of hunting on your own. We just want to rid the world of the monsters. So why don't you just sit down, and get to know us by talking to us instead of yelling at us."

I pouted and rubbed the sting in my ass as Dean spoke to me. I was more surprised than anything. That had hurt, but it almost felt nice. I didn't try to pull away. In fact, I could feel myself still leaning towards him, craving more of his touch. At the same time I was embarrassed by everything I was feeling in that moment. But when he finished talking, I nodded and went to sit back down.

I pressed the ice to my head again and asked them questions about Hell, Purgatory, the number of times they had died, how they survived everything, what kept them going…. We talked for hours, but they never got annoyed with my questions. I had a feeling that Sam was trying to keep me talking so I wouldn't fall asleep if I had a concussion, but I didn't care. They were even more fascinating than I thought.

They joked around with each other, but I saw the loving way Dean watched Sam when he didn't know anyone was watching. And I saw the way Sam looked up to Dean in so many ways. They were a true family. I suddenly felt a twinge of guilt for leaving Jackson when he probably needed me the most. As my smile faded and I got quiet, the boys simmered down and looked at me.

"Everything alright?" Sam asked me gently.

"Yeah. Just thinking about my foster dad. He taught me everything I know, and when he retired, I just left him behind. I was too blinded by my own selfishness to even realize if he needed me. I should probably get back to him…" I looked down at the puddle my ice pack had made on the table and sighed.

"Well you're not driving yourself. So if it's that important for you to get back, then Sammy can drive your car, and you can ride with me in the Impala."

I was about to snap back and ask why I couldn't ride in my own car with Sam, but I decided being alone with Dean at this point would probably be more beneficial to getting to crack open that hard shell of his. And I didn't want to chance him coming at me again with that stinging hand again if I spoke up like that at him again, or maybe I wanted to push him a little more to get more.

"Fine. Let me just clean up a bit and then we can go." I tried my best to keep all snarky tones out of my voice as I replied, but I know there was still some bite to my bark.

As I headed to the bathroom to wash some of the dried blood from my hair and relieve myself, I heard the boys talking quietly again. I couldn't understand them this time, but Dean seemed to be proud of himself as I looked back at him before closing the door.

I spent too much time in the bathroom analyzing what I would say to Dean. There was something in the way he worried about people that made him even more attractive than he already was. And his willingness to put his life aside to protect his baby brother made me melt. I knew I'd probably fall for one of the brother's going into this, but after the stories I had heard I had assumed it would be Sam who would draw me in. His sweet demeanor was definitely easy to fall for, but Dean's passion for his family sealed the deal for me. I laughed at myself for assuming either of them saw me as anything more than another Hunter. I was planning for a future that probably wouldn't ever happen.

I finally came out of the bathroom and found the boys looking bored. Sam sitting at the table with his laptop out. Dean laying on the bed staring at the ceiling. I cleared my throat loudly as I walked over to them.

"Ok. Let's get outta here." I looked at them and tried not to laugh. Sam still had my keys, so he went to open the door for me to go out to the cars. Always a gentleman.

"Thank you," I said nodding at him.

"Of course, m'lady," he joked back.

I laughed and went to the Impala. THE. Impala. I let myself revel in it's greatness. How could one car have been through so much and still be running? Maybe it was just the twilight making the car look more majestic, but she was a beauty.

"You gonna get in, or are we just gonna stand around staring at cars all night?" Dean said sarcastically.

I awkwardly smiled at him and went to where he was holding the door open for me.

"Thanks," I said softly as I was getting in.

As the car roared to life I suddenly felt more timid than I had in years. I was sitting alone in a car with Dean Winchester. What in the hell more could we have to talk about for the next two hours? How had it been so easy earlier with Sam?

"Where to?" he asked, breaking me out of my thoughts once again.

"Just head north. It will be off the main freeway."

"10-4," he joked, trying to lighten the mood again.

I smiled awkwardly and forced a laugh. Then I turned and groaned to myself. Why couldn't I just be cute and witty like other females?

The first twenty minutes was him singly badly to rock songs while I stared out the window at the sunset. Dean was the first one to break the silence.

"So what got you into hunting?"

"My parents were killed when I was young. I was told so many different stories about what had happened to them. One day a man named Jackson came to me and told me my parents had been killed by a monster. He had been the one who saved me that night, but he couldn't take care of me, so he left me with a foster care. I was in and out of so many homes over the years, and eventually Jackson came back for me. He wanted me to leave with him when I was 12, but I didn't believe him. Two years later I decided I had nothing to lose. So I ran away and went to live with him. He started training me, and now here I am."

I went on to talk about some of the hunts we went on. I smiled to myself at first, but then I started to feel guilty again. I was tired of talking about me. I felt like I had been rambling on. When I stopped talking, Dean just sat quietly and took in the information. I watched him take it all in. Trying to figure out what he was processing the information as. Eventually, he began to speak again.

"Mel… I'm sorry for losing my temper on you back there. It wasn't my place to strike you. But just know the fact that you pushed Sam far enough to almost do that is saying a lot. He's like a freakin' saint. So maybe you want to work on not being so defensive when hunting. The guys you meet up with might not be out to get you as much as you think…"

I blushed furiously and turned my face away hoping he wouldn't see me. I cleared my throat before replying.

"There's nothing to apologize for. Jackson has taken his belt to my ass for way less. I guess I've been getting a little out of hand the past couple years trying to be out on my own. I was kinda mad at him for not wanting to hunt anymore. I felt like I was being abandoned again. So I started taking it out on everyone else. It was like everyone was judging me."

Why in the hell was I telling him this? He didn't need to know that my father tanned my ass. I squirmed uncomfortably in my seat.

Dean grunted in acknowledgement of what I was saying and nodded his head slightly. "You know, there's always gonna be assholes out there who don't appreciate us. There was a time when Hunters were trying to kill us because of what they thought they knew. It sucks when your own kind turns against you. Monsters and non-humans? Fine. They're mostly dicks anyway. But the humankind who should be banding up against all this shit? No."

I watched as he gripped the wheel tightly while he spoke more quickly. He stopped abruptly and sighed, releasing his death grip on the wheel.

We sat again in silence while the music played softly in the background. We were getting close to the exit anyway. Then just another 30 minutes to get to what I called home.

"You're gonna want to take the next exit and turn right. If you follow the road it will lead you directly to my home."

Dean nodded and signaled with the car so Sam could easily follow them as they got off the freeway and turned right. As we got off the main road, my stomach suddenly started to twist into knots. Jackson would want to know how I ended up with the Winchesters driving me home. I guess my ass was gonna be toast after all.

Dean sensed me tense up and looked over. "Everything alright?"

I laughed nervously. "Just starting to sink in how stupid I really was. Jackson isn't gonna be happy…"

Dean seemed to catch my meaning, "I'm sure he won't be happy. But I'm glad you have someone there to take care of you. Otherwise, I'd probably be doing it myself."

I choked again as I looked over at his dead serious face. I was suddenly glad to have Jackson cuz I was pretty sure I didn't want to be at the receiving end of whatever Dean would have to offer. I quickly looked away again as my face filled with blood and my palms started to perspire.

I heard Dean laughing at me as I started rubbing my palms on my pants to dry them off. At least one of us found the situation to be funny. As I snapped my head back to glare at him, he only laughed more. I reached out and punched his arm.

"Shut up."

I half smiled as he laughed more heartily after the punch. At least it was lightening the mood. Instead of talking more, I quietly started to sing along with the songs that had been playing. Dean reached to turn it up and joined in as we pulled up to my house.

I could see a light on in the living room and I sighed. I had hoped maybe Jackson would be upstairs in his room so I could sneak to bed and get some rest before having to deal with this shit. I suddenly realized that I hadn't actually seen Jackson in almost 6 months. And then I felt horrible yet again.


	3. Chapter 3: Facing the Consequences

Chapter 3: Facing The Consequences

Dean turned off the car and sat watching me think about what a horrible person I was. He didn't rush me, but he didn't stop staring at me either.

Finally I couldn't handle him just sitting there, so I sighed and opened my door, "Come on. You might as well meet my father."

Sam followed suit and left my car. I guess he had been waiting inside my car until we got out. Awesome. He walked over and handed me the keys.

"Thanks, Sam. You should both come inside for some coffee so you're not tired on the drive back."

The boys followed me to the door, and I paused and took a deep breath before unlocking it and letting us all in.

"Jackson?" I called out.

"Mel? Is that you?!" He came half running at me and pulled me into a tight hug which I gladly returned. "Where have you been, child?!" he half yelled at me before looking up at the two giants flanking me.

He let go of the hug and held his hand out to each of them, "You must be the Winchesters. Mel here has been set on finding you ever since I told her I was retiring. Hunting was just getting too dangerous with this bunk knee. How'd she trick you into coming back here with her?" he said with a laugh.

I cringed a little at the question, and Jackson didn't miss it. He put his hands and my shoulders and looked me in the eyes.

"Mel, what in the hell did you get yourself in to this time?" he asked in a stern voice.

"Well… I may have gotten a concussion when fighting a vengeful spirit. So they insisted on driving me home."

I looked down and watched Jackson's hand twitch. He put his hand under my chin to lift my face and he shot me a very serious look. "Why don't you go make our guests some coffee. Boys, join me in the living room so we can chat a little more."

They smiled politely and followed him. Dean glanced back with a smirk before disappearing around the corner. I wanted to stop everyone from going, but I knew better. Jackson was about to get all the information that he needed. And I wasn't there to defend any of it. Hopefully the boys wouldn't give away too much. I would like to be able to sit shortly after my punishment.

I took my time at first while making the coffee. I got new beans to grind. I heated up water on the stove instead of the coffee pot. And the longer I sat there, the more I started to regret the decision to make this take longer. I wanted to get to where they were, so I might be able to save myself at least a little bit.

I stared impatiently at the water until it started to boil a little. Then I quickly strained it through the coffee. Threw the cups on a tray along with some milk and sugar, then hurried to the living room. Judging by the look Jackson shot me even though they were laughing, I knew he had heard enough.

"Thanks, Mel. Just sugar for me," Sam said taking a cup off the tray as I slid the sugar to him.

Dean grabbed the cup and smelled it before speaking, "I'm good with black. Thanks." He took a sip and sat back smiling. Something behind the smile made me tense a little bit.

I pushed the last cup over to Jackson who added some milk and took a sip, "Well, Mel. Sounds like you had quite the eventful day. Lucky you had the Winchesters around to take care of you even when you acted like a spoiled brat."

I sunk down in the empty seat across from Dean, "Yes, sir."

I couldn't bring myself to look up, but I could feel Dean watching me. I knew I was a different person in that moment. I was subdued and well-mannered. There was no defensiveness. I was filled with shame and guilt. What had I been thinking?

I looked up at Jackson, "I'm sorry it's been so long since I came home. I was being selfish when I needed to be with you."

He smiled and reached out to take my hand, "There are no hard feelings. I know you needed to get out and experience things on your own. I can't expect you to stay around here forever. I know what it means to live the life of a Hunter."

My eyes burned with tears, and I reached over to hug him.

"Shhhhhhhh. I know. I know," he said gently.

I started to shake as I held back my tears. I remembered our guests and I tensed up and sat up to wipe away my tears. I took a quick glance at Dean and saw him watching me. He didn't seem to be judging me, but I didn't really understand his look either.

Sam cleared his throat and stood, "Well, I guess we should be heading back. Thank for your hospitality. Don't be a stranger if you need anything."

He stood up and shook Jackson's hand. He walked over to me and handed me a piece of paper with their numbers on it and winked at me. Then pulled me in for a hug.

"Don't be a stranger," he said softly into my ear.

I smiled as we pulled away, "Ok."

He gave my shoulder a gentle squeeze. I looked past him as Dean shook Jackson's hand and then came to me as Sam stepped away. As Jackson and Sam walked towards the door, I looked up shyly at Dean. He put his hands on my shoulders and looked into my eyes.

"Listen. I don't want you causing trouble anymore and being careless on hunts. Jackson isn't always going to be around, and you can't just throw your life around like it doesn't mean anything. Got it?"

"Yeah. I'll do my best."

He smiled at me and pulled me into a hug. He kissed the top of my head gently, and we went to Sam and Jackson at the door.

"I'm sure we'll be hearing from you soon," Dean said with a smirk.

I glared at him and he laughed. I didn't like the way he said that.

As the boys went towards the car, Jackson and I waved, and then he closed the door.

"Living room. Now," he said sternly. His demeanor changed almost instantly.

I rushed back from where I had just come from and sat in the chair so we could talk before other things were taken care of.

"Mel, I don't know what you were thinking or how many stupid things you did while you were out on your own, but you can't keep doing them. I taught you better than that. And I'm not going to be around forever to deal with you when you act like a complete fool."

He sat down and took my hands, his eyes filled with tears. My breath caught in my throat as I suddenly had a horrible feeling.

"Melody, I'm dying. I retired because my body is shutting down due to illness, not because of a bad knee. I wanted to stretch my last years out so I could make sure you were able to take care of yourself. Clearly, you're going to need some reminders from time to time, and since I don't know when my time will be up, I asked the Winchesters to keep an eye on you and take care of things."

I groaned as I just now understood the quiet smirks that each of the boys had.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" I was already fighting tears back, but for the time I had forgotten about my punishment.

"I needed to see how you would be on your own without worrying about me. Which apparently you didn't have much issue with until you met the Winchesters." He laughed gently and put his hand on my cheek.

"I love you like you were my own daughter, and I will continue to love you no matter where I end up after I pass on."

He leaned forward and gently kissed my forehead. I reached around and pulled him into a hug. The tears began to flow freely from my eyes.

"I'm so sorry for hurting you, Dad. I shouldn't have been so stupid. Can we please get my punishment over with so I can move on from all this guilt?" I asked through my tears.

He pulled me away and checked my eyes and felt the bump on my head.

"Well, you don't seem to have a concussion, so I guess it wouldn't hurt to just get it over with. You know the drill. Over the couch."

I stood wiping my tears and went to the arm of the couch. I bent over and braced myself as I heard the leather slide through the loops of his pants. I squeezed my eyes shut and took a deep breath just as the first swat came down.

CRACK

I held my ground.

CRACK

I grunted a little, but still didn't move.

CRACK CRACK

I squirmed a little, but held myself strong.

CRACK CRACK

I tried to be strong, knowing I deserved this.

CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK

With the five in quick succession I screamed and stopped myself before reaching back. I stomped my foot on the ground and reset to squeezing the couch.

CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK

My knees buckled from the pain, and I was sobbing into the cushion.

CRACK

CRACK

CRACK

He slowed down his pace, but increased the force behind them. I let out a yelp with each hit.

CRACK

CRACK

CRACK

Again he spanked me hard and slow. Leaving just enough time to register the sting before the next one landed.

CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK

He sped up the pace, and I just collapsed over the couch. I had nothing more to fight with.

CRACK CRACK

I sobbed harder than I thought I could.

CRACK CRACK

I reached back and was immediately reprimanded, "MELODY JANE! Move your hands. NOW!"

I hiccuped and put my hands in the cushion.

CRACK

He came down with everything that he had.

CRACK

I was crying so hard I could barely hear him toss the belt to the floor. He pulled me up into a tight hug and rubbed my back until I calmed down.

"I'm...s-s-so...s-s-sooorrrryyyyyy", I blubbered at him.

"Shhhh. It's alright. You're forgiven now. Everything is forgiven."

He gently rubbed my hair now, pulling me in tighter and swaying slightly back and forth until I calmed down. In that moment I made a vow to stay close to him during his final time.


	4. Chapter 4: The Weight of Death

Chapter 4: The Weight of Death  
It was two years before Jackson passed on. I had been in contact a few times with the Winchesters when they were passing through or just asking how Jackson was. But I spent more time focusing on creating as many memories as I could rather than planning new ones. I only hunted if something was nearby, and hardly spent time away from him.

A week after Jackson passed, I texted them both to let them know, and fell into a dark place. I didn't want either of them to see me, so I had waited until after the funeral to text them.

Dean had of course immediately replied, _I'm so sorry. Please don't do anything stupid_.

And Sam, _My condolences to you. I will be keeping you in my heart. Don't hesitate to call if you need to talk. Will there be a service? Maybe we can drop by._

I looked at their replies, but then put my phone in my pocket, grabbed my stuff, and threw it in the car. I was going to drive until I felt something other than the pain of loss. I couldn't be in the house with all of these painful memories. So I drove until I couldn't keep my eyes open anymore, then I found a hotel and got a room for the night. I didn't understand how I could still have so many tears after a week,but I cried myself to sleep yet again.

When I woke up, I decided to hang around the town. I heard people talking about monsters and things getting them in the night. Had I discovered a case without even trying? I listened more.

"..And then they found her body drained of blood just sitting in the middle of her lawn. I don't know any animal that would do that."

I did. But why leave the body in the middle of the lawn? Maybe the vampire got interrupted. Either way, I took it as a sign to distract myself and save as many people as possible. As I finished up my breakfast, my phone buzzed. I looked down at it. There were quite a few notifications,so I went back to the earliest ones, starting with Dean.

 _Mel, where are you? We're at your house. Jackson died a week ago?! Why aren't you responding._

I scoffed at Dean's message. It had been sent 8 hours ago.

There were 10 missed calls between Sam and Dean. I sighed and moved on the the messages from Sam, which had been sent almost 11 hours ago.

 _We're coming to your house. We're not far. We'll see you soon._

 _Why aren't you answering our calls? Be there in two hours. I hope you're ok._

 _Where are you? It looks like you packed up at left? Some locals said you had a funeral yesterday. Why didn't you tell us?_

 _Well since you're ignoring us, we're going to wait here for you._

As I finished the last message, I had another incoming call. Dean. I sat there staring at the phone, then decided it was better to not make them track me down to prove I was still alive. I finished off my drink, and sighed before I picked up the phone.

"Hello?" I said grimly.

"MEL! What the hell!? We've been trying to get a hold of you!"

"Yeah, sorry. I was driving, and then I went straight to sleep. I was just catching up with your messages during breakfast."

"Where are you?" Dean asked in a dark tone.

"I dunno. Some town off the freeway somewhere. Listen, Dean. I'm fine. I just needed to get away. And I think there's a case here, so I'm just going to hang out for a few days to see what's up. Don't get your panties in a twist." And with that, I hung up on him.

He immediately tried to call me back. So I switched my phone to silent and ignored his calls for the next 5 minutes.

Then a text came through, _Not a smart move, missy._

I cringed a little, but didn't reply.

I paid my bill and went out to wander the town a bit. I found a park bench and pulled out my phone to look up the news to see if anyone else had gone missing recently and saw 3 missed calls from Sam and a text.

 _Mel, please just answer the phone and talk. We just want to make sure you're ok._

Yeah, right, Sam. I'm not falling for that.

I swiped away the messages and looked up local news. Besides the woman found dead, there had only been one other person they thought to be missing.

Good. I had caught it early on. As I continued to scroll through the news, Sam tried calling me again. Getting annoyed with them interrupting me constantly, I answered.  
"Yeeees?" I answered in a sarcastically sweet voice.

"MEL! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?! WHERE. ARE. YOU?!"

I was surprised to hear Dean on the other end. I pulled the phone away from my ear a little bit so he didn't bust my eardrum. He was definitely pissed.

"Well. Like I already told you. I'm on a case. So, if you don't mind, I'd like to get back to my research. I promise I'll come find you guys when I'm done here."

This time Dean hung up on me. I shrugged and went back to my research. I found two abandoned warehouses and an old farmhouse with a barn that looked promising for a possible vampire nest.

As I was sitting in the park feeling proud of myself, I suddenly started to worry that both Sam and Dean had stopped trying to get a hold of me. I shifted uncomfortably a few times and decided to go check out the location of the house where the woman was murdered. Maybe there was some abandoned building that wasn't quickly available to the records.

I decided to walk there. Fresh air would be good for me and I was trying desperately to ignore the guilt about the boys and the emptiness about my loss. I needed to keep it together. I felt my emotions overwhelming me, so I stopped where I was and squatted down trying to focus on feeling comfort from the right positioning of my body.

After a few deep breaths, I was able to push all the painful emotions behind a wall. I felt nothing but heaviness weighing down on me. I let myself become a machine. I no longer cared about anything. I pulled out my phone again to check if there was anything, and when there wasn't, I sunk a little deeper into a mind numbing depression.

Then I started feeling angry and betrayed that they didn't care enough to try harder. I guess I didn't bury my emotions as well as I had thought. My throat got tight as I fought the urge to vomit. My body physically ached from housing too many emotions that I refused to let out. I just wanted to scream.

I closed my eyes for a moment and took another deep breath. I sent Sam a text just to see if I would get a reply.

 _Maybe if I went on mindless drives like this more often I'd be catching more monsters before they killed people! Lol_.

I put my phone back in my pocket trying to convince myself that a reply wasn't really that important to me. I threw on a fake, friendly face and continued down the road. There was a sense of anxiety every time a person came near me.  
I could feel myself being overly aware of the energy of each person as they passed. Luckily for me that wasn't very many people. As I was right on the brink of a full blown panic attack, I arrived at the house of the recently deceased.

I paused for a moment to check my phone: nothing. I sighed and took in the opportunity to distract myself with the case. I soaked in the surroundings. Why here? What had been the draw?

I looked around for any buildings that looked devoid of human life. There was one questionable warehouse about a half a block away, but I couldn't be sure. I went up and tried to look inside, but I didn't see anything. It was definitely not being used for anything productive at the moment.

I checked my phone again and sighed when there were no messages. I went back to scouting out entrances to the building and checking for the best method of entrance. I found an unlocked door and quietly let myself in. As I searched around, there didn't seem to be any signs of anything living there. I moved cautiously throughout the empty space, covering every inch. There was nothing there. If a vampire had tried to make a home out of this place, it would have been sleeping.

I cursed silently to myself and returned through the door which I had come. Right as I closed the door, my phone buzzed and my heart jumped. I pulled it out quickly to see what it was, but it was just telling me that it was shutting off from a dead battery.

"Shit," I mumbled to myself.


	5. Chapter 5: Finding The Nest

Chapter 5: Finding The Nest  
I headed back to the hotel to grab my charger. My stomach started to growl, and I looked at the hotel clock. How in the hell was it already 4:25 in the afternoon? Well, I'd better grab some food before heading on to check another location. I went to a nearby diner and picked a place near an outlet so I could charge my phone while I ate.

I stared at phone as it charged until it increased to 5%. The waitress came to my table and pulled my attention away from the still powered off phone.

"What can I get for ya, hon?" she said happily.

I smiled up at her and quickly glanced down at the menu to pick something.

"I'll take the bacon burger, medium-well, and fries, please."

"Anything to drink?"

"Water is fine. Thank you."

"Alright, I'll get that in," she said with another big smile.

I watched her walk away and pressed the power button on my phone. I was watching it go through the power up sequence as she dropped of my water. I looked up and thanked her as she went on to the next table. I turned my attention back to the phone, put the sound to vibrate, and willed it to buzz. But still, I got no response.

I started to look at maps and see if there was something near the house that I had missed. As I scanned the map looking for some building that may had been behind the house, I finally got a text message.

 _Where are you?_

I stared down at it. How much longer could I ignore Dean asking me where I was? I closed my eyes and just sat there thinking about what to say...or if I should say anything at all. As I sat there contemplating my future, the waitress came with the food. I snapped open my eyes as she started talking to me.

"Alright, here we go. Burger with bacon and fries. Here's some ketchup and ranch. Was there anything else you needed?"

"I think I'm ok. Thanks."

"Enjoy, hon."

I forced myself to smile and watched her walk away. I suddenly felt nauseated. I decided to just reply to him. It wasn't helping anything avoiding him.

 _300 S on the main freeway. Take exit 93._

I sent the message and flipped it over so I could try to eat. I took my time eating as I tried to calm my nerves. I sat and wondered how close they were and if they had been waiting at my house or if they had already been driving. As I slowly finished up my meal, it dawned on me that I had seen the location of the nest while I was on my walk. How could I have been so blind? It made perfect sense.

I checked the time and my battery: 5:47, 73%. There was no reply from Dean, but at least that would leave me enough time to get to the nest before the vampire prepared for the night if I didn't dally.

The waitress dropped off the check shortly after, "Take you time, sweetheart."

As soon as she left, I threw down money to cover the tip and the bill and walked briskly out the door. I didn't want to draw too much attention, but I also was eager to get to the location. As I went to get into my car, I realized I had left a light on in the car and the battery was dead.

"Shit," I said to myself. I went to the back of the car and grabbed my bag. I would have to walk there.

I checked the time again: 6:02. I looked up at the sky to see where the sun was. I might be cutting it close. The sunset was already heading into twilight. I broke out into a half run, racing against the sun.

As I closed in on the building the sun had fully set, but the sky still had some light in it. It was truly twilight. I slowed my pace and tried to be a little more stealthy. I set my bag down quietly and pulled out my machete. As I pushed the bag behind some rocks with my foot, I checked my perimeter. I picked the lock on the door by me and snuck my way inside.

I looked around for any sign of movement, hoping that I hadn't missed the vampire leaving. I heard something coming from my left, and I held my breath and focused my vision in the direction of the sound. Something wasn't right.

Just then my phone buzzed in my pocket distracting me long enough for two vampires to come at me. Well, that explained the first missing person that was never found. I sliced at one and missed while the other one tackled my shoulder, dropping me to the ground.

I was pissed at the phone for causing me to miss the vampire, but the anger helped me find the strength the get the other one from on top of me.

As they stood facing me, the male vampire spoke. "Ah, I see you want to play with us? I never did have problems playing with my food before eating it." He stopped and took a large breath, taking in the smell of the blood and was dripping from where the side of my head had hit the ground.

I stood partially crouched listening to him as I started to fall back into my dark thoughts of not caring if I lost the fight. I started analyzing what it would take for them to mortally wound me while still taking care of the threat to humans.  
The female vampire screamed and came running at me. I started to stand to allow myself to take a hit before cutting off her head, but as I prepared myself for the contact, I was pushed the other direction. I slid along the ground, then quickly flipped to see what the hell had happened.

Sam had already cut the head off the female and was charging the male. Dean made sure I saw his look of complete fury before running to assist his brother. I wiped the dirt from the wound on the side of my hand, and checked my head. Why was it always the head when these two were involved? As I pulled myself to standing and brushed off my pants with my machete free hand, I finally found the courage to look up at the now blood spattered brothers.

Dean took two long strides towards me and grabbed the front of my jacket. "WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?! WERE YOU TRYING TO GET KILLED?!"

Clearly they had been there long enough to see that thought. I grabbed onto his arm with my free hand, but when I opened my mouth no sound came out.

"Dean, you should…"

"Stay out of it, Sammy." Dean's tone had a bite to it that made me tense and try to pull away a little. "I want you to answer me what it is you thought you were doing." His voice was more of a growl at this point.

I swallowed and tried to speak again. "I...I was just trying to save the people of the town. And I guess I figured if I could accomplish that and get mortally wounded in the process, then I wouldn't have to feel this way and the town would be safe."

Dean let go of me, shoving me away from him. "Clean up that vampire. Now." His tone was icy and his fists and jaw clenched tight. He went to the opposite side of the room and closed his eyes while he breathed.

Well, I guess I just might still get the chance to die tonight. I was pretty sure that Dean was one smart ass remark away from killing me himself, so I ran over to the girl and dragged the body over to where Sam was making his pile. Once I dropped off her pieces, Dean spoke to me again more calmly.

"Melody, go wait in the car. If you're not out there when we're done, I will find you. And you will pay."

I swallowed hard and scurried out the door. I grabbed my bag from outside the door behind the rocks, and spotted the Impala. I stood staring at it, analyzing my chances of surviving if I left. I took a step towards the car and stopped. I looked back over my shoulder analyzing my exits.

"I wouldn't even think about it if I were you," Sam said as he came out of the building.

I jumped a little and looked to him. He didn't sound upset, but the tense body language showed otherwise. I clenched my jaw to stop any sarcastic remarks. He continued towards me and grabbed my arm.

"I don't know what kind of shit you're trying to pull, but I wouldn't keep pushing us. Now get in the car."

He pushed me forward from my elbow and helped me get to the car a little faster. I sighed and walked over to let myself in. I opened the door and tossed my bag in the seat and got in. I slammed the door behind me and sat back with a sigh. I squeezed my eyes shut and fought back the tears. I just wanted to not feel anything anymore. But nothing I did helped. And I had just planned my own death. What was I thinking?

I dropped my head down into my hands and started to shake from holding back my tears. I wanted to scream. Or cry. Or vomit. Just something to purge myself of all the shit that filled me. The darkness that was taking over my insides was pulling me down, and I was starting to feel like I was drowning.

Just as I felt that I was going to crush under the weight of my own stupidity, I heard the door open and held my breath trying to hear every little sound. The next door opened shortly after and then the car shook as the doors closed. I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I immediately broke down.

"Melody…"

Sam's voice was much more gentle than I thought it was going to be. Maybe I wouldn't be in as much shit as I thought. I let myself continue to cry and listened as Sam tried to speak again.

"Melody, just breathe, okay? Can you tell us where you are staying?"

I tried to calm my breathing and respond to him. I think the only things that come out coherently were "staying" and "6". Luckily, I felt the car start after I finished blubbering my way through "I'm staying at the motel 6 off the freeway".

Sam removed his hand from my shoulder as the car started moving forward. My shoulder felt empty without his touch. I let the emptiness swallow me up again so I could shut down my feelings and get myself under control. As I finished wiping my emotions from my face, we pulled up next to my car.

Dean kept staring forward and spoke with very controlled emotions.

"Go inside and grab your stuff. Check out of your room, give your car keys to Sam, and when you're done you are going to get back in the car with me, and we are driving back to your home."

"Dean..." I tried to tell him Sam wouldn't be able to drive it.

"NOW!"

He cut me off and I shrunk back, but I knew he'd need to start charging it while I collected all of my shit. So I took a deep breath and spoke quickly.

"The battery is dead. I left a light on all night. Here's the keys. I'm going to get my things."

I tossed him the keys and quickly let myself out of the car. I wanted to get away from him before things got worse.


	6. Chapter 6: The Long Way Home

Chapter 6: The Long Way Home

I slammed the car door behind me and let myself in the room. I tossed the key on the bed and went to take a shower. No reason to rush when they'd have to charge up the battery.

The warm water poured over me, and I almost lost control of my emotions again. I screamed and slammed my fist against the wall before I could repress anything. I needed to pull my shit together. I squeezed my eyes shut and calmed myself for a few moments. Then I finished rinsing off and got out to dry off. As I left the bathroom to grab a change of clothes I found Dean sitting on the bed. I tried not to show him how surprised I was that he had gotten into my room.

"I already checked you out of your room. Sam is driving your car around the block to charge up your battery. Get dressed and meet me in the car. You have three minutes."

His voice was eerily calm. He grabbed the room key I had tossed on the bed and walked out. I stood there in my towel staring at the door. With every movement I was one step closer to my punishment. But every moment I kept Dean waiting was only going to make it worse for me. And I had done enough already.

I quickly dressed and grabbed the last of my stuff. I did one last sweep and found a sock under the bed. I laughed to myself a little harder than I should have. Clearly I was losing it a bit. As I left the room, I was still laughing. And then I saw the look on Dean's face.

My heart crushed from the pain and worry I saw. And when he looked up at me, it was quickly replaced with anger and disappointment. I went deadly serious and walked to the car to let myself in.

As I sat in the car and tossed my bag in the back, I saw Dean gripping the steering wheel with white knuckles. I put on my seat belt and looked at him with a smile.

"Ok. All set." I tried to be overly happy in hopes of lightening the mood.

He ignored my attempts and pulled out his phone and hit a speed dial.

"Sammy. We're heading out... Yeah...See you later."

He hung up and put the car into drive.

The first 2 hours was nothing but the sound of the radio. I sat in silence watching him. I kept waiting for him to show signs of relaxing so I could talk without him immediately cutting me off. Finally, I gave up on waiting and decided to start talking.

"I know you're pissed. And I know I messed up. And I was stupid. But I just lost my father."

I couldn't talk anymore. My throat started tightening up. My breath sped up,so I shut my eyes trying to pull myself together. Again. He spoke while I tried to calm down.

"I'm not just pissed. I'm hurt. And I'm disappointed. You waited a week to tell us that Jackson passed. What the hell were you doing for a week? Pulling the same shit you tried to pull today? Were you TRYING to get yourself killed? I thought it was made clear that you were not to unnecessarily put your life in danger. I just don't... "

I looked at him as he spoke. He looked like he was in so much pain. He stopped talking and just shook his head. I could see the tears that he quickly blinked away. My chest hurt from the tears I refused to cry anymore.

"I'm sorry," I whispered.

I let my eyes fall shut and was quickly overcome by the exhaustion of the day.

I woke up when the car slowed down and tried to stretch out my stiff neck. We had arrived at my house. I couldn't believe I had slept for 3 hours. I rubbed my eyes and continued to stretch. Dean parked the car and shut off the engine.

"Grab your stuff. Get inside. I'll meet you in the living room in 15 minutes."

I silently grabbed my stuff and went inside. I went upstairs to my room and relieved myself after throwing my stuff on the bed. I stood staring at myself in the mirror for a minute, then got up the courage to go back downstairs.

As I entered the living room, I found Dean standing in the doorway on the opposite side of the room.

"Sit," he said grimly.

I sat knowing what came next. He wanted an explanation. So as soon as I sat, I started talking. I didn't want to wait for him to come make me. He'd put up with enough of my shit for one day.

"I've been careless. And selfish."

Dean looked surprised when I started talking without any initiation from him. He faltered in his step, but kept coming to stand by where I sat.

"I didn't want you there. I didn't want you to care about me. I didn't want any pity. I just wanted to feel nothing. I wanted Jackson back. I wanted the pain gone. I've cried so much my whole body hurts. I have nothing left, so what more was there to live for? I joined this life for him and my parents. Now I have nothing. Why keep fighting monsters when I can't even fight for myself? I don't care anymore. So do what you will with me."

Dean looked at me with that familiar pain in his eyes and then looked around the room. He walked away and grabbed one of the armless chairs and moved it into the empty space behind the couch. He sat down and then looked at me again.

"Come here."

I stood up and walked over to him. When I stopped in front of him, he turned me and pulled me across his lap. I was in a position that was unfamiliar yet very familiar at the same time. With Jackson I had always been bent over something: a chair, a table, a couch. But this... This felt so much more personal. He put his arm around me and pulled me close before speaking again.

"Now, you listen to me. I made a promise to you and Jackson that I would keep you safe and take care of you when you lost your way. I plan to uphold my end of that promise because your life matters. You matter. And I'm going to make sure you don't forget that for a very, very long time. Do you understand?"

The authority behind his voice made me reply formally, "Yes, sir."

The answer seemed to satisfy him. He gave a soft grunt, and then, the spanking started.

SMACK

I shifted awkwardly. Something about being on his lap and using his hand was causing me to feel more than just the sting of that first swat. The first time he had given me swats all those years ago I thought I had felt this same way. It almost felt good. And then the next one fell.

SMACK

I suppressed a moan. This was supposed to be a punishment. So why couldn't I stop the growing heat in my private areas?

SMACK SMACK SMACK SMACK

He started to pick up the pace and my breath started to quicken. It was taking everything in my power not to jump him. My body craved for him. I shut my eyes and tried to focus on everything I had the fact that this was my atonement.

After about 15 minutes of him holding his rhythm, the amount of the stinging started to overcome the mass amount pleasure I had been feeling in my crotch. And then he picked up the pace, and the tears started to lace my eyes.

SMACKSMACKSMACKSMACKSMACKSMACKSMACKSMACKSMACKSMACKSMACK

I started letting out grunts and wiggling to get out of the line of fire. He stopped, and I sighed in relief thinking maybe it was over. And then he spoke.

"Hips up," he said sternly.

I lifted my hips, and I felt him unbuttoning my jeans. My breath caught as I realized he would see the physical evidence of the effect that he was having upon my nether regions. I squirmed a little bit trying to hide how wet I really was as he pulled down my jeans. He paused for a longer time than felt normal for this time of situation. And then he cleared his throat and shifted and pulled me in close again. This time he shifted me to one leg and put the other one over my legs locking me into place and sending my ass at a higher tilt.

The slight breeze against my now wet thong made me shiver a bit and I pushed my hips down against the hard muscles of his thigh rubbing myself against him trying to further my stimulation. I felt a pulse from his crotch in my hip and felt him shifting again. He cleared his throat and immediately went back into his rhythm.

SMACK SMACK SMACK SMACK SMACK SMACK SMACK SMACK SMACK SMACK SMACK

The direct contact against my skin was making me squirm. And not just from the sting I was feeling. He was focusing more on my sits bones, and every once in awhile, a hit would slip and contact my swelling privates. I felt like I was going to explode from overstimulation. I gasped and threw back my head. I felt him harden again into my hip. And then he picked up the pace.

SMACKSMACKSMACKSMACKSMACKSMACKSMACKSMACKSMACKSMACKSMACK

I held my breath and tried to just take in the pain, and then I finally broke down. The tears fell freely, but I still felt tension in my body. I wasn't fully letting go because I knew I deserved so much more.

He continued his rapid pace and started focusing in one area for a longer amount of time before moving on. The burn in my ass was beginning to reach unbearable levels. I tried moving away from his onslaught again, but he held me firmly in place with his arm and leg.

"I'm sorry! I'm so….sorry," I half yelled, half sobbed. And then I released everything. I let my body lay limp.

The spanking returned to a slower pace, but the swats were much harder and more focused to sensitive areas. I cried out with each connection to my burning bottom. He must have gone on like this for the next 5 minutes. And then he stopped again.

"We're almost done. I'm going to release your legs so you can stand. Do not try to run away. It will only make things worse." As he spoke, the sadness in his voice came through and my heart sunk.

As he released me I awkwardly stood with my jeans around my ankles and tried to wipe my still forming tears. He stood and reached for his belt as he spoke, "Over the back of the couch. You're getting 20 with the belt to seal up this deal. I don't want you to ever do something as stupid as this again. Got it?"

"Yes, sir," I murmured as I waddled over to the couch and lifted my hips onto the top so he had a good target.

"Ready?" he asked more gently.

I replied by letting out another sob and nodding.

CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK

I screamed as he rained down those first swings. Every other punishment that I had received before this from Jackson suddenly felt like child's play. My hands wouldn't listen to stay by my head and kept twitching to reach back. The pause was just long enough to let me take in the sting of each lick of the belt. Then he started again.

CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK

I didn't know how much more I could handle. My ass would definitely be bruised after this. And I knew one thing for sure, I definitely was not focusing on how turned on he had made feel anymore, but I was still wet.

CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK

I screamed and stomped my feet, trying to fight the urge to get up and run away. Then the last round came down like wild fire.

CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK

And with that I sat back and fell to my knees. Sobbing. As I tried to rub the sting out of my ass Dean gently put his hands on my shoulders and pulled me to standing. He turned me around to face him and brought me into a tight hug.

"Shhhh. It's all done. You're all done. Just breathe."

He rubbed my back and I returned the hug, squeezing him tight. I didn't know exactly how long I stood there, but eventually I calmed down enough to realize I was still standing there without pants. I was suddenly overcome with embarrassment.

"Um. I'm gonna go… clean up."

I started to pull away, but Dean held me a moment longer as he gave me an extra tight squeeze, then kissed my cheek as he let me go.

"I'll be up to check on you in 30 minutes."

I blushed and looked for my pants. I had kicked them pretty far during that last round of licks. I grabbed them and backed out of the room until I was out of Dean's sight then ran up the stairs. I heard him laughing gently as I ran.  
I ran all the way to the bathroom and slammed the door. I opened the drawer with my vibrator and turned on the shower. I removed the rest of my clothes and climbed in. I sat on the ground and used the toy to finish the climax that I had come close to reaching while receiving my punishment. I almost passed out from the extreme amount of pleasure I had just experienced. I felt so confused. But at the same time, I felt more alive than I had maybe ever. I felt a peace. I finally felt like I could deal with everything that had been clouding me.

I let the water run over me for a while before standing to wash the last 7 hours away. I felt like I could start to heal. I had finally let everything go. And I had been punished for my wrongdoings. And I had been cared for. I got out and brushed my hair and teeth. Then I went to my room to grab some pajamas that would let me feel as little discomfort as possible, but I knew nothing would really help. As I pulled my shirt over my head, Dean entered my room.

"How are you doing?" he asked me in a soft voice.

"Well...considering. I'm actually feeling a lot better."

He smiled. "Good. Go sit so we can finish talking."

I frowned at the thought of sitting. But figured it was my own fault for not being comfortable. So I sat gingerly on the end of the bed and looked up at him.

"Ok. What more do you want to discuss?"

"Mel, I want you to know why I did this. It wasn't just to get out my anger for the shit you pulled. I want to make sure you really understand that I'm doing this because I care about you. The world deserves you in it. You're a great Hunter and I...we… are all lucky to have you. I think it's best if Sam and I stay with you for a while to make sure everything is ok. I know things have been hard, and I don't think it's a good time for you to be alone. Now, with that being said. If you even think about pulling this crap again….so help me, Mel. You won't be sitting for a month. You got it?"

His voice rose with passion at the end of his speech. I felt the urge to cry again. Or maybe laugh. But instead I stood up and let myself melt into his arms.

"Thank you… for everything. And I really am sorry. So, so sorry."

He held me close and put his chin on my shoulder.

"Mel, I want you to know how much I care for you. You're not just some nameless Hunter who has no one left to care. I care. I've always cared. I always will care."

I pulled away to look at him. His eyes were filled with such kindness. And love. His eyes were brimming with tears, and I reached up to brush one away as it escaped.

"Dean. I think I've been in love with you since you pulled me to safety on the stairs. But how could you ever feel the same way about me?"

Instead of answering, he pulled me into a forceful kiss. My body reacted immediately to him, but I also realized how incredibly exhausted I still was. How could my body fail me at a time like this?!

Dean seemed to notice me fighting myself and pulled away as he gently laughed. "We should both get some sleep. Come on, let's get you to bed."

He walked me over to the side of the bed and pulled down the sheets. I hissed quietly as I climbed in the bed. The sudden reminder of the pain he had just caused me made me glad that he had stopped anything more from happening. He pulled up the sheets over me and kissed my head gently. He walked to the end of the bed and took a turn to come to the other side and laid down on top of the covers on the free side of the bed. My body immediately relaxed as I felt him next to me. He ran his fingers through my hair as I slowly drifted off into a deep sleep.


	7. Chapter 7: The Next Morning

Chapter 7: The Next Morning

When I woke the next morning, my ass was throbbing. As I went to move I felt the weight of an arm around me, and as I finished waking up I realized who that arm belonged to. I smiled to myself as I reached my hand out of the sheets and grabbed his hand. He squeezed back and moaned lightly as I touched him. As he pulled himself closer, I felt how tender my ass truly still was, but I didn't pull away.

He brought his lips to my neck and let his breath tickle my skin. My breathing started to hitch and my body filled instantly with warmth. I felt a tingle begin to grow between my legs and pressed myself harder against Dean's body. I needed to feel as much of my body touching him as was possible. He sat himself up on his elbow and gently kissed along my jawline. I rolled onto my back and he began to kiss my lips with urgency. As I pull his body to mine, he tried to situate himself under the sheets to be with me.

I stopped kissing him to let him get in the covers as I helped him remove his shirt. He climbed on top of me and went back to kissing me. I ran my hands down his muscular back and pressed my head back into the pillow as he rubbed his hand down my sides. He immediately began kissing my chin and neck. As he reached around and grabbed my ass, I lost all control.

I pushed him and rolled with him so that I was now straddling him. I wanted to drink his form in, but my body craved for him. I quickly took my shirt off and let my fingers run along his chest before going back down to kiss him again. The passion between us grew quickly and we both reached to remove our pants. In a blur of clothing and bodies, we became as one.

As he entered me, he pulled his hand back and brought it down against my ass. I shuddered with pleasure and let out a gasp as I let my nails dig into his flesh. He was far too good at this for it to be his first dabble in spanking for pleasure.

He laughed and whispered in my ear, "I thought so, my naughty girl. You liked that little punishment a little more than you should have last night. Guess we'd better remind you what a punishment is for."

I simply groaned in response as I went to conceal my blushing by licking his chest. He moaned lightly and went back to focusing on proving his point.

He gave me a few more swats which he timed perfectly with his thrusting. I crunched my toes and threw my head back in pleasure. I slid my hands underneath his body and ran my nails down his back. I tried desperately to contain some of the immense pleasure, never wanting it to leave my body.

He seemed to sense my resistance and sped up his rhythm as he gently bit my ear and ran one hand over my naked body. When he reached my leg, he rolled me onto my back as he pulled it up to his shoulder, thrusting himself harder and deeper into my body.

Just as I felt like I was about to explode, he slowed himself to a stop. He smiled at me with an evil grin as he removed himself and rolled off of me, pulling me so I was laying across him. He turned me sideways across his lap and bent close to speak to me.

"Let's just see exactly how much you like this."

And with that, he began to lay into my ass. I was trying to allow myself to enjoy the moment, but I was also a little annoyed that he could easily take such control over me. Would I get this turned on everytime he took me across his lap? I felt like I would reach orgasm simply from this punishment. It was more gentle than my punishment last night, but with my already tender bottom I was squirming after just a few smacks. And this time as I squirmed, he reached between my legs and let his fingers caress me. I screamed out in pleasure and pushed against his hand. There was definitely no way I could handle much of this. I was disappointed in myself, but I couldn't take it anymore.

"Please...please, Dean...I need you in me," I said breathlessly to him. My world was starting to disappear as I forgot how to breathe. Lucky for me, telling him that I needed him seemed to set him off just as much.

As he flipped me onto my back, he urgently pressed his lips to mine once again. We twisted and turned in and out of so many different positions. Yelling in pleasure. Aggressively going at each other. Every movement perfectly matching up into sweaty perfection.

As we climaxed together for the grand finale, I could almost swear that I could feel the earth tremble beneath us. Everything just seemed right. I felt lighter than I had in years. Or maybe ever. I laid with my head on his chest as we both caught our breath, and then I pushed up to look at him while I spoke.

"Dean..." I stopped the thought and blushed furiously. He pushed back the hair out of my face and laughed gently. He seemed to sense some of my worry about the situation.

"Melody, I've cared about you for a long time. That first time we met and I smacked your ass...Well, the only reason I stopped was because of how you reacted to me. I knew you were effected in more ways than you wanted to admit. I felt your lack of resistance and I saw your body crave more after I pushed you away. I've dreamed about taking you over my knee so many times since then. And then when Jackson asked for us to keep taking care of things after he passed... Well, let's just say I've been counting down the day for you to do something stupid so I could put you back in your place."

He shut his eyes and smiled as if he was reliving some delicious moment. I gently hit him to break up whatever fantasy was going through his mind.

"No fair."

I pouted at him and he kissed me as he laughed gently. I pulled away and went to speak again.

"Dean..." I tried to start once more, but I just couldn't seem to ask if he was still only going to stay around for a week. I didn't really want to know. I just wanted to be in that moment. As I went to speak again, the smell of breakfast came up the stairs and my stomach growled interrupting my worry.

"Let's wash up and head down to eat," Dean laughed to me as he kissed me gently and got out of bed. We showered somewhat distractedly as he kept rubbing his hands on me instead of actually cleaning himself, and then went down to breakfast holding hands.

"Thanks for finally joining me," Sam said with a gentle smirk. "How are you feeling, Mel?" he said turning to me.

I shifted a little uncomfortably as I shot a look at Dean and cleared my throat. "I'll live." I looked away from his glance as I remembered that he had purposely made himself scarce so Dean could take care of my attitude last night.

"Good. I'm sure we won't have to worry about you making anymore stupid decisions...At least for a while." Sam smiled at me and shot a look to Dean.

"I have no doubt that this little miss will be quite well behaved for a good while now."

He looked over at me with a wink as he pat my ass gently. He laughed as I whipped my head around to glare at him. I grabbed my plate and gingerly sat down at the table.

I sat quietly eating while the brothers bantered back and forth. I was unaware of what they were saying. Too distracted in my own thoughts. I was trying to process everything that had happened the last week. How much my life had changed. How much it was still yet to change.

I looked up at the boys as they laughed, and I smiled and took Dean's hand. All that mattered was now.


	8. Chapter 8: The Long Week

Chapter 8: The Long Week

The boys stayed with me for a week. Things were quiet in terms of hunting in the surrounding areas, so we mostly hung out and talked about our lives. I reminisced about Jackson and tried to let myself heal. They tried to keep me busy on new training techniques and continuously reminded me why my life was important.

Dean made sure that everyday consisted of me going over his lap at least once. Though it was only in the bedroom, I quickly learned that his disappointed look would earn me what I like to refer to as the 'pre-sexy time spanking' . This one was more harsh and less enjoyable than the during sex spankings, but it got me excited nonetheless.

My attitude had improved dramatically since the Winchesters arrived, and I definitely felt happier. But the impending dread of them leaving me kept crashing down on me. I would be fine one minute and feel like I was suffocating the next. I almost asked them to just leave me numerous times. But Dean would get that look, and I would melt and forget what I wanted to say.

As the week came to a close, I could tell they were ready to get back out into the fight. They both seemed genuinely worried about leaving and that only caused the guilt to bury me more and more as time went on. Dean did his best to make me see he wanted to be there and nowhere else. But I knew their story, and this was something that couldn't last. Finally I found the courage to talk to him about it.

"Dean... " I took a moment to gather my thoughts for the hundredth time. "Look. I know that you're not going to stay here forever. I know your life. And your brother is number one. You guys are clearly meant for big things, and I am more than grateful for what I have gotten."

"Mel..." He started.

"No. Don't pretend this can be something more than it is. Don't get me wrong. This past week with you has been more than I could have ever asked for. You've shown me that I can find true happiness and that I deserve to be happy. But I also know that I'm going to always be stubborn, so you can't just stay here and babysit me 24/7. So. I've been thinking. Maybe we just come up with a schedule."

I stopped to shift around uncomfortably and cleared my throat. I couldn't believe what I was about to propose to him. But I forced myself to continue on.

"So I was thinking... Maybe we just plan to meet up every six months or so. You know. So you can, uh, take care of things. Um. Clear me of my guilt. And whatnot. Uh. Help me atone for my wrongdoings. And then. Maybe hang around for a couple days. Just to make sure the lesson stuck."

I finished off with a wink as I slid my hand up his thigh. God I would miss this man.

He frowned and contemplated what I said. Then he put his hand on mine, stopping it before I reached his crotch.

"Melody. I want you to understand no matter where I am or who I'm with, I will always care about you. And it really shows a lot about you that you're understanding to my lifestyle and obligations. I don't want you to think that you've just been a fling and that you don't mean anything. Because you mean a lot to me. And you always will. I made a promise to your father that I intend to keep for as long as it's needed."

As he continued on, an evil glint passed through his eyes.

"With that being said, I expect you to reply whenever I call you or text you to check in on things. If you ignore me, I'll just assume that's an invitation to come warm up your ass. And since I'll be leaving soon, and I know you won't be able to stop your naughty behaviour, maybe we should just spend the next day or so with you over my knee. I'm sure it wouldn't hurt to have a solid reminder before I go."

He quickly pulled me from the hand he had stopped and I found myself across his lap once again. I groaned quietly for not seeing that coming way sooner, but I didn't fight him. As I made myself more comfortable, he leaned over to whisper in my ear as he rubbed the ass of my jeans.

"Now. Let's clear all of that guilt so we can move on to the fun stuff."

And with that, my punishment started up.

SMACK

As the first swat fell, I worried a little bit. Throughout the past week I had found myself over his knees numerous times, but aside from the first night it had mostly been a small release of emotions so I could fully enjoy the pleasure. This did not feel like it was about to be for pleasure. Clearly he was right. I had been spoiled the last week and had forgotten what it meant to be punished.

SMACK

My crotch quickly warmed up as it prepared for the usual ritual. But my stomach was filled with butterflies as I started to get more and more nervous.

SMACK

His swats were very deliberate and controlled. He seemed very determined to separate this from our bedroom play.

SMACK

I shut my eyes and tried to shut out the pleasure once again.

SMACK SMACK SMACK SMACK SMACK SMACK SMACK SMACK SMACK SMACK

He had started in his rhythm. I knew there was nothing to do at that point. No amount of begging would stop what he had started. He was hard set and now it was up to me to take this as a punishment. He began to speak between the sound of his hand coming down on my ass.

"I need you to understand how important your life is in this world. I need you to feel the pain it would cause not only me, but the rest of the world of we lost you. I'm gonna put a burn in your ass that you won't soon forget."

He took that moment to increase the intensity and focus on my sit spots for a few minutes. The tears that had been building in my eyes began to fall as I squirmed in his arm. As he slowed back down, he spoke again.

"When we are done, you will be going straight to the shower to prepare for bed. You will think about what this means and then we will talk again in the morning."

I started to bawl as he finished speaking this time. I didn't want to be sent to bed to think about my poor choices. I wanted to be sent to bed with him. I didn't care how much sting he was putting in my ass, I was sure I would still want him. My thoughts of desire for him were quickly interrupted as he started raining down on my with a flurry of swats.

SMACKSMACKSMACKSMACKSMACKSMACKSMACKSMACKSMACKSMACK

I began to scream and kick as he peppered my ass. But he just held me tighter and continued on for what felt like forever. Then he slowed his pace and spoke again.

"Stand up."

He helped me up as I wiped away my tears and snot before going to rub my ass. He grabbed the wrist closest to him to stop me.

"No rubbing. Take your jeans off and get back over my lap."

I stood and stared at him in fear. He was making me take off my own pants? What the hell? How was that sexy?

"Melody. I don't think you want to see what happens if I have to take them off for you. Now take them off. And lie down."

The growl in his voice made me jump and quickly remove my jeans. As I went back over his lap, I started to sob uncontrollably. I felt so horrible for everything. And I felt so stupid for thinking he would just leave me without some sort of long lasting reminder to behave.

He pulled me in tight and started back up again on my thin underwear. I thought the fabric might help protect from his strong hand, but it didn't seem to do much at all. After just a few swats, I already was squirming to get away. After a much shorter time than before he went into his faster rhythm.

SMACKSMACKSMACKSMACKSMACKSMACKSMACKSMACKSMACKSMACK

I screamed out with each contact to my sore ass. I kicked and tried to cover my ass. But he held strong and locked my arms down tight. As he moved down to the top of my thighs I tried pushing myself away by pressing my feet into the ground. He paused only momentarily to shift his leg over the top of mine, dropping my face closer to the floor. He released my arms and pulled my body in close once again.

"I told you that this will be a punishment for you to remember. And I'm going to make sure it's just that. You try to push away again, we'll just repeat this whole thing again in the morning."

"No! No! Please! I promise I'll try to be good."

That seemed to be the answer he wanted as he went back into his rhythm without anymore discussion. The next ten minutes consisted of me blubbering apologies and trying my best not to block his blows. As he started to slow down again I let myself catch my breath. As he spoke, I went into a slight shock. I couldn't have heard him correctly. As I stayed across his lap contemplating the truth of what I heard, a brought down a new flurry of swats to get my attention.

"Melody! I said stand up and remove your panties."

I cried out loudly and quickly stood as he released me. I stripped myself of my underwear and threw myself back across his legs to hide some of the embarrassment that was washing over me. He put his leg back over mine and pulled me in tight. I knew this was going to be rough. And I desperately craved for him to tell me it was done and just change from punishment to sex. But as he started up again, I knew there was no chance for that.

SMACKSMACKSMACKSMACKSMACKSMACKSMACKSMACKSMACKSMACK

He didn't even give me a chance to catch my breath this time. My body definitely understood the difference of what was happening. He was here to make a point. And a point he was definitely making. I had no control over my limbs anymore. He seemed to understand at this point and rather than continue to reprimand me about it, he just locked me down into a tighter hold.

SMACKSMACKSMACKSMACKSMACKSMACKSMACKSMACKSMACKSMACK

He continued to rain down on my ass. There was no end in sight. I was crying out my apologies and other incoherent things. Anything to make it stop. I just wanted him to make it stop.

"Please! PLEASE! I promise I'll try to be good."

In my head the words were so clear. But as they left my lips, my ears heard the blubbering truth. I am not even sure he could have figured out any of what I said. And it definitely didn't stop him. He went on making me regret my life choices for at least another 15 minutes. As he started to slow down again I let myself collapse over him and just cry. He let my calm down for a minute before speaking.

"Stand up and bend over the bed. We're going to finish with the belt."

He helped me up as I started to cry harder again. As he stood with me this time I threw myself into his arms.

"Please, no, Dean! I'll behave! PLEEEAAAASSSEEE!"

I felt him tense up, but he quickly recovered and pulled me away. He looked me sternly in the eye.

"Over the bed. NOW!"

I sobbed my way to the side of the bed and dramatically threw myself onto it. I heard the leather of his belt slide through his jeans as I wiped my face on the comforter.

"Melody. I need you to keep your hands out of the way. Got it? I don't want to hurt you unnecessarily."

"Y-y-yeessss, ss-sss-iirr!" I blubbered in response.

CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK.

He wasted no time laying into me. He left just enough time to feel the rise of the sting as the next one fell. After the fifth one he left more time for me to soak in all that I was receiving.

CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK

I screamed loudly and stomped my feet as I tried my best to not reach back.

"Hips back on the bed."

His voice was more calm this time, but I wasn't willing to push him. As I quickly set my hips to give him a clear, safe shot of my ass, he came down with another round of swats.

CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK

There definitely wasn't much more of this that I could handle. I couldn't stop my hands for rubbing my ass before Dean yelled to stop me.

"Hands back to the bed! Don't think we won't repeat this in the morning!"

I snapped my hands back just as he brought down the last of this horrible punishment.

CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK

I held my breath and did everything in my power not to move from that position. As I was squeezing my fists and my eyes closed, I was suddenly pulled up into a hug. As I realized what was happening, I released the tension in my arms so I could wrap myself around him and hold tight. I soaked in his scent as I soaked his shirt with my tears.

He rubbed my back in little circles as he swayed gently.

"Shhhhhhhh. It's ok. We're all done. All done."

He kissed my head gently before speaking again.

"Now. Let's get you some pajamas so you can shower and get to bed."

I gave him one last squeeze as I tried my best to relax while I picked out my pajamas. I suddenly realized when I stepped away from him that I had no bottoms on whatsoever and quickly grabbed something to cover myself.

He laughed gently at me.

"Go shower. I'll be waiting here to tuck you in."

I groaned again as it sunk in that this was really a punishment. As I went to the bathroom to shower and brush my teeth, I had no desire to get out my vibrator. And I knew this wasn't the time for that anyway. I hissed at the water of the shower and again at the pants as I put them on.

As I came back to my room there was a glass of water on the nightstand and the covers were folded back. I walked over to the bed and gently climbed in. I winced as I sat on my sore ass.

"Now listen to me. This is just a fraction of what you will get if I ever find out you tried to let yourself get killed. Got it?!"

I looked down immediately. He sounded worried and upset. I was ashamed that my stubborn attitude was hurting him. Clearly he was afraid to leave because he still didn't fully trust that I would take care of myself. Tears filled my eyes again as I went to speak.

"Dean. I'm really sorry for making you feel like I can't be trusted without a strong hand here to guide me. It's just hard to believe that someone would actually care for me after so many years in foster care. I still struggle with believing that Jackson actually cared for me. I hurt him more than I'd care to admit, and I know I've hurt you. Can you please forgive me?"

He came and sat next to me on the bed. He reached up to put my hair behind my ear and dry some of my tears. Then he gently placed his hands on my shoulders and looked intensely into my eyes.

"Melody. I forgave you long ago. This wasn't about me trying to make you pay for the way you treated me. It was about getting you to see that you are important, and when you make stupid choices it doesn't just effect you. If anything ever happened to you I don't know that I could forgive myself. So please. Just use this as a reminder to stay safe and hunt smart. This is your attitude adjustment to make you the best Hunter you can be while remembering to stay safe. Got it?"

I nodded as I started shaking from crying again. He pulled me into a hug which I gladly returned. He let me stay there and cry on his shoulder as he rubbed his hand through my hair. I think he may have even been humming, but I couldn't be sure. I started to calm down and dozed in and out. Through the moments of consciousness, I felt him pull away and lay me down. I felt the weight of the blankets envelop my body. And the last thing I remember is feeling his weight on the bed next to me as I dozed off into a peaceful sleep.


	9. Chapter 9: Saying Goodbye

Chapter 9: Saying Goodbye

When I woke up the next morning, I was more sore than I could ever remember being. My body ached from crying so much, and my ass was definitely not feeling much better. I quietly rolled off the bed to use the bathroom.

I sat down on the bed after I returned and felt the full pain of the night before. As I laid back and rolled to place my face into Dean's chest, tears laced my eyes and my body tensed. He watched me with worried eyes, and helped pull me in close as I rolled.

"I'm sorry I had to do that last night. But it really was necessary. I know you. And I know the kind of shit you try to pull. I just didn't think your first punishment was as effective as I had hoped since you found so much pleasure in it. So I had to up the ante. It was really hard for me to have to be so harsh with you, but it needed to happen. And I know now that I can leave you and not worry whether you're going to end up dead because you were careless."

I felt him shake lightly, and when I looked up, I saw the pain and tears in his eyes. I pushed myself up and placed my hand gently on his face.

"Dean… I never want to hurt you. I'm so sorry for making you feel like that punishment was necessary. I mean, you're probably not wrong. But that doesn't mean I needed to like it."

I finished my short speech with a pout. He laughed as he reached up to place his hand over mine. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He had a slight smile on his face, but when he opened his eyes I could see the pain again.

I gingerly climbed on top of him and placed my head on his shoulder. I needed to feel his warmth against me. He wrapped his arms around me as I reached around his head to play with his hair.

He lightly traced his fingers over the curves of my ass. My toes curled at his touch and I buried my face into his shoulder as I cupped the back of his neck. As he allowed his full hand to run over my backside, I turned my face to kiss up his neck until I reached his lips.

I wanted to savour all that this moment was, so I kissed him with less urgency than I had done the past week. I lightly let my lips pass over his, slowly building into the kiss. He seemed to understand my meaning and kept his intensity down. There was no need to rush things.

All week had been like two rabid animals going at each other. And now I craved something different. Something to help me remember the taste of him. To remember his scent. The feel of his skin against mine. To know every ripple of muscle. I just needed to remember it all.

Dean stayed focused on running his hands over my tender ass. He applied just enough pressure to make it pleasurable without pain. I felt some of the discomfort leave my backside and it allowed me to put my full focus onto him.

I sat up to remove my shirt. Then I removed his. As he settled back down to the bed, he let his hands trace the curves of my torso as he found his way back to my ass. I closed my eyes and let myself focus on the feeling of his hands running down my skin.

I moaned in pleasure and shuddered as he reached my ass once again. I opened my eyes and smiled at him. I reveled in his beauty. I let my fingertips follow his collarbone. Then leaned over to gently let my lips trace along the same line. He reacted with a squeeze to my tender cheeks as he let a sound of pleasure escape his lips.

I almost gave in and just took him with that, but I found it in myself to control the reaction. I took a breath and rolled to my back, taking Dean with me. I left my legs bent to prevent further distraction caused by my ass.

Dean reached down and put my hair behind my ear and gently kissed me. As he pulled away I slid my hands down the front of his body. He slid down the bed and pulled my pants away to reveal my hip bones. His gentle kisses made me covered instantly become covered in goosebumps.

As I pushed my feet into the mattress and arched back, he removed the remainder of my clothing. He took extra care about not reviving the pain in my ass. I squeezed his shoulders and curled my toes as he kissed along my inner thighs. Why did he have to be so good at everything?

As his kisses passed my belly button, my stomach muscles spasmed with delight. He continued his path up until his tongue gently found my nipple. He let one hand massage my other breast while the other hand reached between my legs.

He perfectly timed caressing the three points of my body with his hands and tongue. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, just trying to accept the pleasure for all that it was. I wouldn't give in. I couldn't. I needed this to last.

As my nipples hardened and I began to drip with pleasure, I grabbed Dean's face and pulled him to my lips for a passionate kiss. As we came out of the kiss, I looked him in the eyes and spoke with a sultry voice I hardly recognized.

"Your turn."

And with that, I pushed him onto his back and reciprocated. I kissed along his hips. Then removed his pants and boxers. But as I kissed up his legs, I stayed to wet his hardening manhood with my tongue. As I put him in my mouth, I let my tongue spiral along after my lips. I kept my pace slow, but I was very deliberate in my touch. As he groaned and twitched in my mouth, I detached from his member and licked up his torso.

I took a moment to engage his nipples and let them harden in my tongue and gently between my teeth. This time he threw his head back and grabbed my hips to pull them up to him. He easily entered me as I lowered my hips back down.

As soon as he entered me, I lost all control and we become as one once again. It was a blur of bodies and I scarcely felt the pain which resided in my ass. It was simply a continuous release for the next hour.

As it came to a close, I decided I wanted to stick around. I used my shirt to clean up, and stayed there to soak more of him in. I placed my head onto his chest as I pressed my naked body against his own. I just needed to feel his touch.

I whispered to him as I soaked him him, "Thank you."

Instead of using words, he grabbed my face and pulled me into a passionate kiss. As he pulled away from me to look into my eyes he spoke,

"I know you are fighting a lot of things since we are leaving tomorrow morning, but I want you to hold this moment. Remember all of it. Remember the pain left over from last night. Remember the love that we shared. Remember the touch that showed our true selves. It's all important, and I won't forget it."

I blushed and looked down. I didn't want him to be right, but I knew he was.

"I'll do my best. And now that we've handled that, let's enjoy the last of our hours together."

And we did. I spent the day with Sam and Dean just having a normal life. We laughed so much my stomach ached. And when we said goodnight and I found myself alone with Dean once again, we had a repeat of our morning meeting. Things went slow and I was exhausted. As morning arrived, I felt my heart grow heavy. I wasn't ready for them to leave, but I knew it needed it happen.

"Do you really have to go?" I whined to Dean. Suddenly I had lost all of my dignity.

He laughed and kissed my temple, "You know we do. I'll be back sooner than you'd think. And I know you'll be fine."

Sam looked a little confused at the exchange, but didn't press the matter. He came to me and squeezed me in tight.

"Always remember how important you are. I expect to be seeing you around for a long time."

He kissed my cheek and continued to hold me for longer than I expected. I didn't fight any part of Sam's goodbye. I simply let myself melt into his arms. He finally pulled away and rubbed his thumb along my cheek as he grabbed his bag and went to the car.

Then Dean came up to me and took me into a passionate kiss. For once I didn't mind that Sam saw. I let the moment be all that it could. And I loved it for all that it was. When we were finally able to separate our bodies, Dean spoke first.

"Remember all that you've learned this past week. You have more importance than you know. And don't forget that I'll be back to remind you of that."

He finished with another passionate kiss. Then he grabbed the last bag and got into the driver's side of the Impala. I waved to them for the last time in who knew was how long. I knew I would have to start taking responsibility for my own actions now, but I also know I could count on Dean to keep me in line.

As I watched them drive away, I knew that it was all going to be ok.


End file.
